Monday, July 9, 2007

California Immigrant Policy Center
1225 8th Street, Suite 590 ¨ Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone (916) 448-6762 ¨ Fax (916) 448-6774


CIPC’s SUMMER BILL Update
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Legislature Considers Key Bills In Advance of Summer Break


Legislative committee hearings on various bills affecting California’s immigrants and their families have begun. The bills have been heard in their “house of origin” and now come before the Senate or Assembly for further consideration. CIPC will keep you updated as the process unfolds. Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata and Assembly Speaker Fabian Nuñez have announced that their health care bills will merge into Assembly Bill 8, the Democratic proposal for comprehensive health care reform. The California Immigrant Policy Center (CIPC) and our allies are actively engaged in working with the Governor and legislative leadership to secure a policy that would increase access to quality health care for all Californians. In addition to the health care legislation, bills moving through the Legislature include those addressing public benefits, immigration, language access and education. For more information on the bills listed below, please visit www.leginfo.ca.gov/billinfo.html or call Layla Razavi at 916.448.6762, ext. 202.

HEALTH CARE

AB 1 (LAIRD) - Health Care Coverage - Support - This bill expands eligibility for the Medi-Cal and Healthy Families programs to include all California children whose families have incomes at, or below 300% of the federal poverty level. The bill creates a Buy-In Program under Healthy Families for children whose household income exceeds 300% of the federal poverty level. The bill specifies the family contribution required for children enrolled in the buy-in program. It improves and simplifies the application and enrollment processes for the Medi-Cal and Healthy Families programs and transitions children enrolled in local children's health initiatives into those programs. This bill passed the Assembly Floor by a vote of 47 to 25 and is awaiting referral to a committee in the Senate.

AB 8 (NÚÑEZ & Perata) - Health Care Coverage - Monitor - This bill proposes a broad plan to expand public and private health coverage for California residents. This includes an expansion of eligibility for the Medi-Cal and Healthy Families program by allowing all California children regardless of status with family incomes at or below 300% of the federal poverty level to qualify. The bill also expands eligibility for these programs to low-income parents. AB 8 requires employers to provide health insurance to their employees or to pay 7.5% of payroll, or an appropriate amount as determined by the Managed Risk Medical Insurance Board, into a state fund called the California Cooperative Health Insurance Purchasing Program (Cal-CHIPP), from which employees can buy health insurance. AB 8 does not include an ”individual mandate” but it does require workers to enroll in either their employer’s plan if offered or the plans offered through Cal-CHIPP. The bill also includes various insurance market reforms. This bill passed the Assembly Health Floor by a vote of 47 to 32 and is awaiting referral to a committee in the Senate.

SB 32 (STEINBERG) – Health Care Coverage – Support - This bill is identical to AB 1 (Laird) and expands eligibility for the Medi-Cal and Healthy Families programs by allowing all California children, regardless of status, with family incomes at or below 300% of the federal poverty level to qualify. The bill creates a Buy-In Program under Healthy Families for children whose household income exceeds 300% of the federal poverty level. The bill specifies the family contribution required for children enrolled in the buy-in program. It improves and simplifies the application and enrollment processes for the Medi-Cal and Healthy Families programs and transitions children enrolled in local children's health initiatives into those programs. This bill passed the Senate Floor by a vote of 25 to 13 and is awaiting referral to a committee in the Assembly.

SB 840 (KUEHL) – Single Payer Health Care Coverage - Support - This bill would create the California Universal Healthcare System, a state run, “single-payer” program that provides health coverage to all California residents regardless of income or employment status. The program would roll in existing programs such as Medi-Cal and Healthy Families and be funded through state income and payroll taxes. This bill passed the Senate Floor by a vote of 23 to 15 and is awaiting referral to a committee in the Assembly.

HUMAN SERVICES

AB 22 (LIEBER) - CalWORKs Maximum Aid Determination - Support - This bill phases out the policy that excludes children who are born into a family that is receiving aid preceding the child's birth. It thereby allows the newborn child to be included when determining the maximum aid, based on the number of needy persons in the same family. This bill passed the Assembly Human Services Committee by a vote of 5 to 2 and was placed on the suspense file in the Assembly Appropriations Committee where it will not be acted on until the next calendar year.

AB 92 (GARCIA) - School Breakfast Expansion - Support- This bill requires school sites that meet the qualifications for federal severe need reimbursement to offer free or reduced breakfasts. The bill requires the State Department of Education to provide school districts or county offices of education with technical assistance to attempt to overcome barriers, such as financial limitations. This bill requires that schools offering the federal School Breakfast Program for the first time receive a priority for funding through the startup and expansion grant program. This bill passed the Assembly Education Committee by a vote of 10 to 0 and was placed on the suspense file in the Assembly Appropriations where it will not be acted on until the next calendar year.

AB 1060 (LAIRD) – CalWORKs and Food Stamp Redetermination – Support - This bill repeals the quarterly re-determination requirements and instead requires that re-determinations be performed semi-annually. This bill passed the Assembly Floor by a vote of 47 to 32 and will be heard in the Senate Committee on Human Services on June 26.

AB 1382 (LENO) – Food Stamps: Statewide Fingerprint Imaging System - Support – This bill eliminates the requirement that applicants for and recipients of Food Stamp benefits submit to fingerprint imaging as a condition of eligibility, unless they also apply for or receive General Assistance or CalWORKs. The bill moves the responsibility for implementing and maintaining the statewide fingerprint imaging system to the Office of Systems Integration rather than the Health and Welfare Data Center. This bill passed the Assembly Floor by a vote of 46 to 32 and will be heard in the Senate Human Services Committee on June 26.


LANGUAGE ACCESS & EDUCATION

AB 590 (SOLORIO) - Involvement of LEP (Limited English Proficient) Parents in education- Support – With the goal of improving students’ academic achievement, this bill establishes a four year pilot grant program that would fund local educational to improve communication with, and involvement of parents who are Limited-English-Proficient in their children's education. This bill passed the Assembly Education Committee by a vote of 7 to 3 and was placed on the suspense file in Assembly Appropriations where it will not be acted on until the next calendar year.



AB 615 (TORRICO) – Emergencies: Persons with Limited-English-Proficiency - Support –
This bill requires the state to ensure that the needs of Limited-English-Proficient (LEP) persons are addressed when the state creates emergency and disaster response plans. The bill requires that LEP persons be represented on emergency planning committees, that the state provide ethnic based community organizations with disaster preparation training and that it disseminate translated emergency preparedness materials. The bill also requires that the California Emergency Council report on emergency preparedness and response and recovery recommendations as they concern LEP individuals. The bill also requires the creation of a registry of qualified bilingual persons in public contact positions who can assist in the event of a large-scale emergency or disaster. AB 615 passed the Assembly Governmental Organization Committee and was placed on the suspense file in Assembly Appropriations where it will not be acted on until the next calendar year.

AB 1726 (JONES) - Access to civil court interpreters - Support - This bill requires an interpreter to be present to provide interpretation services in any civil action or proceeding in which a party in the proceeding does not understand the English language or speak it proficiently. The bill requires the court to pay the interpreter fees for the litigants. This bill passed the Assembly Judiciary Committee by a vote of 9 to 0 and was placed on the suspense file in Assembly Appropriations where it will not be acted on until the next calendar year.


IMMIGRANT RIGHTS

AJR 18 (SOLORIO) – United States Citizenship for Legal Permanent Residents - Support - This bill memorializes the Legislature’s opposition to a proposed increase in the fees for lawful permanent residents to begin the naturalization process and calls upon the President and Congress to address the nation’s system of financing immigration services. This bill passed the Senate Judiciary Committee by a vote of 3 to 2 and will be up for a vote on the Senate Floor.

SB 1 (CEDILLO) - Office of Immigrant Affairs - Support - This bill establishes the Office of Immigrant Affairs (OIA) in order to ensure the integration and civic participation of new citizens in the state. The bill requires the OIA to enter into agreements with non-profit organizations that serve immigrants to ensure the success of the NSP program and provide reimbursement if funds are available. The bill also requires the OIA to submit a state plan to the Legislature every other year detailing the goals of the office and results from its efforts. The bill requires the office to adjust the state plan according to the comments presented at legislative hearings and written comments submitted to the office. This bill passed the Senate Floor by a vote of 25 to 14 and will be heard in the Assembly Committee on Business & Professions on June 26.

SB 60 (CEDILLO) - Driver's Licenses – Oppose Unless Amended –
This bill requires the Department of Motor Vehicles to issue driver's licenses and identification cards that are in compliance with specified requirements of the federal Real ID Act of 2005. The bill also requires the department to issue a driver's license that permits driving, and is not acceptable for federal identification or for any official purpose, to an applicant who does not provide valid documentary evidence of lawful status. Although CIPC has long supported access to driver’s licenses for all Californians, regardless of immigration status, we are opposed to the federal Real ID Act because of its discriminatory effect on immigrants. We urge the Legislature to enact a driver’s license policy that improves public safety by ensuring that all drivers on our streets are trained, tested, licensed and ensured in a fair manner. This bill passed the Senate Floor by a vote of 24 to 15 and will be heard in the Assembly Committee on Transportation on June 25.

SB 160 (CEDILLO) - California Dream Act - Support - This bill establishes procedures and forms that enable persons who are exempt from paying non-resident tuition under AB 540 to apply for, and participate in, all student aid programs administered by these segments to the full extent permitted by federal law. This bill passed the Senate Education Committee and was placed on the suspense file in Assembly Appropriations where it will not be acted on until the next calendar year.


Anti-Immigrant Legislation –

In past bill summaries, CIPC has reported on the introduction and consideration by the legislature of a number of anti-immigrant bills. We are glad to report that the bills CIPC has been tracking (see “Spring Legislative Update” at http://www.caimmigrant.org/) either failed in committee or were pulled by the author for lack of support. This includes AB 648 which at the time of the Spring legislative report was still making its way through the legislative. We thank you for any advocacy efforts you undertook to oppose these bills.

For More information Please contact Layla Razavi, CIPC Statewide Policy Advocate at 916 – 448-6762 Ext. 202

Thursday, July 5, 2007

Having Our Say

As efforts to reform California's healthcare system move along, communities of color have recognized the need to ensure their interests are considered during this critical debate. Assemblymember Nunez and Senator Perata recently merged their plans, with many positive results for all California residents, including immigrants and communities of color. This new version of the proposals previously put forward by Democratic leaders does not include an individual mandate that forces California residents to have health insurance (which would be a real problem if insurance is unaffordable or has major gaps in coverage), limits out of pocket costs to 5% of income - particularly important for low wage workers, and provides health coverage to all children up to 300% of the poverty level. You can find full details about this proposal at Health Access' website, www.health-access.org.

Despite these positive developments, communities of color still have important issues to worry about. Minority and immigrant workers are over-represented in low-wage jobs, tend to have the highest levels of uninsurance among all populations, and face challenges in accessing quality preventative and ongoing care. It's critical that the voices of these communities are at the table while legislative leaders negotiate our state's healthcare future. After all, California is a majority minority state, and the well-being of our communities of color and families is critical for the long-term viability of our state. So, recognizing this need, community of color organizations and groups have come together to represent the needs of minority communities - in Sacramento, in the media, and in the broader debate that will have huge repercussions for our families. This coalition - dubbed Having Our Say - represents about thirty plus organizations across the state who serve, represent, or otherwise care about the needs of communities of color. It's convened by the California Pan-Ethnic Health Network, the California Immigrant Policy Center, and the Latino Issues Forum. So far, the coalition has brought together community and advocacy groups across the state to share info and strategize about healthcare reform; met with legislative leaders to share our concerns and priorities for communities of color; and hooked into broader healthcare reform advocacy efforts through coalitions such as the It's Our Healthcare campaign led by consumer groups and unions.

The next few months are a critical time in the healthcare reform debate. We urge you to get involved with the Having Our Say Coalition so our communities across the state are well-represented and play a role in any final decisions around our state's healthcare system. Please send an email to mbergstrom@cpehn.org to join the Having Our Say listserv and access related resources.

Also, we'll be posting more updates to keep you informed about the discussions around healthcare reform. You can also take a look at the blog updated by Health Access at http://www.health-access.org/blogger.html for daily updates on state healthcare issues.